Length by situation
Length follows evidence. A page should only be added when it holds evidence the employer needs.
| Your situation | Usual length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| First job, school leaver, student | One page | CV for a 16-year-old |
| A few years of work | One to two pages | Chronological CV |
| Long history in one field | Two pages, or one compact page | One-page CV |
| Academic or research post | As long as the record needs | Academic CV |
What to cut first
Work from the bottom of your history upwards. The most recent and most relevant jobs keep their detail; everything else shrinks.
- Jobs from more than ten years ago, or below your current level: title, employer and dates only.
- Bullets that repeat a duty without a result.
- Skills that no line of your work history supports.
- School subjects once you have a degree or several years of work.
- “References available on request”: employers ask for referees when they need them.
If you use two pages
Put your profile, current job and strongest evidence on page one, because some readers stop there. Do not leave a heading alone at the bottom of page one, and do not let page two hold only a line or two: either fill it with useful evidence or cut back to one page.
Check the page count in the file you send
Word, Google Docs and PDF can break pages in different places. Open the exact file you will attach and count the pages there, not in the editor. Our editor marks each page break with a dashed line so you can see where page two starts.